1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an asymmetric connector and a method of mounting the same onto a printed board.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been suggested a lot of asymmetric connectors and methods of fixing such asymmetric connectors on a printed wiring board. For instance, Japanese Unexamined Utility Model Publication No. 1-70296 published on May 10, 1989 has suggested an asymmetric connector including a plate having a movable pin for keeping a surface of the connector through which the connector makes contact with a printed wiring board in parallel with a surface of the printed wiring board on which the connector is to be mounted. The plate supports the asymmetric connector at side, and the use of the plate makes it necessary to carry out a step of compensating for inclination of the connector which often occurs when the connector is fixed onto a printed wiring board.
FIG. 1 is a side view, partially a cross-sectional view, of the asymmetric connector suggested in the above-mentioned Publication. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the asymmetric connector is comprised of a first insulating block 20, a second insulating block 21 equipped with a plurality of pins 23 projecting therefrom, and a substrate 22 connecting the first and second insulating blocks 20 and 21 with each other. There are employed a plate 24, and a punch 30 for press-fitting the connector into a printed wiring board 8.
The plate 24 has a surface 25 on which the printed wiring board 8 is placed, and is formed with a recess 26 into which the pins 23 passing through the printed wiring board 8 escapes. Though the recess 26 is illustrated as a rectangular recess in FIG. 1, the recess 26 is actually comprised of a plurality of holes each associated with the pins 23.
The plate 24 is formed at the front thereof with a vertically extending hole 28. A movable pin 29 is slidably fit in the hole 28, and is upwardly biased by a spring 27 fixed at a bottom of the hole 28. A movable pin 29 has an axis in parallel with an axis of the recess 26. The movable pin 29 supports the first insulating block 20 therewith, and keeps the substrate 22 and the surface 25 in parallel with each other. The movable pin 29 is inserted in the hole 28 so that a distal end of the movable pin 29 projects beyond the upper surface 25 of the plate 24.
While the asymmetric connector is being press-fit into the printed wiring board 8 with the aid of the punch 30, the substrate 22 is kept in parallel with the surface 25 of the plate 24 by the movable pin 29.
However, the above-mentioned conventional asymmetric connector and method of fixing the connector onto a printed wiring board have problems as follows.
First, the above-mentioned asymmetric connector has no means for positioning itself relative to the printed wiring board 8 and the plate 24. Hence, it takes much time, when the asymmetric connector is mounted onto the printed wiring board 8, to position the asymmetric connector relative to the printed wiring board 8, and the printed wiring board 8 relative to the plate 24.
Second, since it is necessary in the above-mentioned conventional asymmetric connector for the movable pin 29 to project beyond the upper surface 25 of the plate 24, the conventional asymmetric connector may be applied only to press-fitting at a marginal end of the printed wiring board 8.
Thus, it is quite difficult in the above-mentioned conventional asymmetric connector and method of mounting the connector onto a printed wiring board to prevent inclination of the asymmetric connector which often occurs when the connector is press-fit into a printed wiring board, avoid terminals of the connector from being buckled, and find a location of a printed wiring board at which the connector is press-fit thereinto. In addition, it is quite difficult or almost impossible to press-fit the connector into a printed wiring board at a desired location.